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[SPEEDDY]

Hi, I bought Mi Amigo's 09 SEUC and this is my question. I have a 09 SERG and when I fill up my range til empty is around 260 to 270. I know this correct because I have run it low many times on long trips. The fuel range on the SEUC is about 215 to 220. The gas gauge will show empty before the light comes on. I took it to the dealer and they say it is correct. How can the same basic bike be so different. Just to add, we have about the same exhaust, stock tune Etc. I know theer is something not right, but how do I convince them

[Keats]

My 08 Ultra shows 240 on fill up.

The reserve Lo light comes on when approx 1 gallon is left and I know I have exactly 30 miles left.

The ultra probably would not get the same mileage due to it's increased weight.


I would expect closer to 230 - 240

The Tune (running rich) can also have an influence.

run the bike empty and check mileage.

I would expect that the fuel gauge would fall into the allowable tolerance.

[Mr_Ed]

My 2010 black CVO Ultra's fuel gauge is a joke....two to two and a half gallons left when it reads empty.  With a third of a tank or better left...what's the point in even having it ?  Yeah the low fuel light seems to give the proper warning...but it sure seems somethings not calibrated right when I still have almost a hundred mile range left once I hit E.   

[Cvostu]

I think no 2 gas gauges are alike..  I think probably the best way to go is by cheching the milage between fill ups.  I have a 5 gallon tank and i usually look for gas at 150 miles.  Thats safe and I stay away from trouble that way.  My light usually comes on about 160 and that usually ends the guessing game with the fuel gauge.     For me anyway.

[kraut]

@Speeddy:

as others already said: forget about the gauges. Watch the mileage per gallon and report if they differ.

[grc]

I disagree.  Don't ignore the gauge, get the POS fixed!  It's a very simple electro-mechanical device, and it can be made to work quite well.  The fact that H-D doesn't make the effort to do it right the first time doesn't mean you have to live with it.

Here's one thought about all that "ignore the gauge and just use the trip odometer" talk that you will get from many of us old timers.  Back when there were no gauges, that was the only available method so it's what we did.  But there is one big difference between those old bikes and what we ride now;  a reserve position on the petcock back then, no reserve and pushing a 900 pound motorcycle now.  If you don't fill the tank each time to the exact same level, if you forget to zero the odometer, if you ride harder and use a lot more fuel, etc., you can change the number of miles to empty by a fairly large percentage.  So even though you can average 240 miles on a tank under the right conditions, do you really want to hang your hat on all the conditions being just right so that your bike doesn't die at 210 miles, about 10 short of that gas station you were trying to reach?

Get the gauge fixed.


Jerry

[roadking71865]

As stated above mileage depends on lots of factors.  I normally use the miles to empty function but usually don't go over 180 miles before I fill up even though the guage has read empty for some time and the miles to empty reads 40-60 miles left.

[dave29]

X2....always use the trip odometer. Check your average MPG on fillups.

[SPEEDDY]

Thanks, for your inputs. I picked up the bike from the stealer and they said they talked to MoCo and it is what it is and that if I wanted to go any further it would be out of my pocket. What burns my a.. is that I know it is wrong. Your fuel gauge should not be completely on empty and still read 50 miles and no reserve light on yet. We buy these so called hand built bikes that is suppose to be the Best of the Best and MoCo treats you like you bought a used sportster. I own a high-end RV business (mostly Prevost) and they do not take second best.

[grc]

Thanks, for your inputs. I picked up the bike from the stealer and they said they talked to MoCo and it is what it is and that if I wanted to go any further it would be out of my pocket. What burns my a.. is that I know it is wrong. Your fuel gauge should not be completely on empty and still read 50 miles and no reserve light on yet. We buy these so called hand built bikes that is suppose to be the Best of the Best and MoCo treats you like you bought a used sportster. I own a high-end RV business (mostly Prevost) and they do not take second best.

And as long as folks keep buying the crap, they will continue to treat you that way.  And as long as people let the dealers feed them BS, they will continue to feed you BS.

When your gauge hits the E mark, exactly how many gallons does it take to completely fill the tank?  I'd guess from your first post that it will come up around 5 gallons, which means you still have a full gallon left in the tank.  But until you actually check it, you really don't know for sure.  If you want to be really precise, completely drain the tank and then fill it one gallon at a time and record the gauge reading at each one gallon increment.  Once you know how accurate the gauge actually is (or isn't), then you can call the MoCo yourself and have some facts to back your complaint.  Then insist that you want your defective gauge repaired or replaced under the terms of the warranty, and if the clerk tries to give you the same fast answer you got from the dealer insist on speaking to the boss.  Don't confuse the issue by talking about the miles to empty thing, just talk about the actual gauge reading.  OR, you could just look at it this way.  The gauges with the older 5 gallon fuel tanks tended to be just the opposite, meaning you ran out of gas before it hit the E mark.  Of the two problems, yours is by far the better of the two.  Once you know exactly how much fuel is really remaining when you hit E, then you can just look at that as an emergency reserve.  I purposely adjusted mine on the '05, after running out of fuel with the gauge slightly under 1/4, to read E with about .4 gallons remaining just to be on the safe side.  As long as you really know how much there is, if the gauge isn't perfect it's not a big deal.  But it should definitely be closer than what you've indicated, and it would be if Harley didn't get away with blowing everyone off with their BS.  This is very simple technology, and it's been at least 30 years since I've had an inaccurate gauge in any of my four wheeled vehicles.  So there is no valid reason for Harley gauges to be a total POS, other than the fact that they and their suppliers can get away with selling junk.


Jerry

[ultrafxr]

My experience is that mileage can vary greatly dependend on speed and wind conditions.  Just today I noticed the wind had picked up in early afternoon and I was facing a strong headwind.  My second take had the low fuel warning light come on a good 20 miles before it normally does.  Just saying - you can't trust the trip odometer.  Conditions can vary way, way too much.

[Jock]

Hi, I bought Mi Amigo's 09 SEUC

I can not supply any additional information regarding your question but I can state this fact.  If you bought his bike you have a winner!  Well-maintained and ready to ride!  Consider yourself lucky to get it!

Enjoy the site and the information contained within it...

[grc]

My experience is that mileage can vary greatly dependend on speed and wind conditions.  Just today I noticed the wind had picked up in early afternoon and I was facing a strong headwind.  My second take had the low fuel warning light come on a good 20 miles before it normally does.  Just saying - you can't trust the trip odometer.  Conditions can vary way, way too much.

EXACTLY!       If the odometer method was all that great, all the auto and motorcycle companies could eliminate their gauges and save a fortune (which would of course find it's way to the CEO's pocket instead of reducing the price of the product). 

If the manufacturer puts a gauge on the vehicle, you have a right to expect it to work properly and accurately.  If it doesn't, then insist they fix it.  If they tell you to pound sand, and you don't feel like fighting them in court, then fix it yourself.  It's not rocket science; it's old technology.  Either that, or use your odometer and just stop every 150 miles to fill up.  Even a very poorly tuned Harley should be able to manage 150 miles on a 6 gallon tank.


Jerry

[Cvostu]

Jerry.....  You're the greatest

[kraut]

@Jerry:

I disagree.  Don't ignore the gauge, get the POS fixed!  It's a very simple electro-mechanical device, and it can be made to work quite well.  The fact that H-D doesn't make the effort to do it right the first time doesn't mean you have to live with it.

nicely stated but maybe a little off topic 

Speeddy's concern was not one or two possibly faulty gauges but a significantly different consumption with two more or less similar bikes. And to find out if that's so one should not believe in gauges (faulty or not) but calculate the consumption for an equal distance under equal conditions. Only after you did this you will know if you got really different consumptions or just faulty gauges  - which is more likely I concede